If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Re: Lens distortion and aberration

I always thought that it would be able to read the lens information and perform corrections, but I haven't read a definitive answer that I can recall. My only experience with a Panasonic lens on Olympus body is the Pan-Leica DG Summilux 25/1.4, which doesn't use software corrections.

Re: Lens distortion and aberration

Thanks Hal & Ross, I have a couple of fellow photographers using Panasonic lenses on their Olympus cameras and I asked them the same question, but they did not have a technical answer, but both said they had not noticed any distortion or aberration problems so not to worry.

I have another question for you guys, I might try using my old 14-42 4/3 ED lens via an adaptor on my EM-10, what focal length do I end up with and usable apertures and which adaptor, there are several on the market, any advice would be good even if its 'don't do it'

Re: Lens distortion and aberration

Adaptors are on the market, but the cheap ones are cheap & may not be as reliable as the Olympus (or Panasonic) versions. If you could pick up the Oly MMF-2 cheap enough then that would be the best (or the Panasonic version) as it is cheaper than the weather sealed MMF-3 version. The focal lengths are the same since it is the same sensor (size) & the adaptor just makes up the distance from sensor that is taken up with a flappy mirror.

Re: Lens distortion and aberration

I have used the MMF-3 adapter with an E-M5 and E-M1 mkII, both with the 12-60 SWD and 50-200 SWD lenses. The results varied a lot depending on the camera and the lens. The big issue was AF performance/speed. The E-M5 ranged from mediocre (12-60) to poor (50-200). The problem is that the older lenses were designed for phase-detection AF systems. The just don't respond well to the control signals put out by a contrast-detection system like that in the E-M5 and E-M10. The 12-60 did okay in bright light, but it tended to slow down a lot as the light levels dropped. The 50-200 often failed to focus even in daylight, and sometimes reported being in focus when it was not; focusing was also painfully slow.

Results are much better with the E-M1 mkII, which includes on-chip phase-detection. AF with the 12-60 is very fast and accurate. The 50-200 is a little slower, but good enough for all but the fastest action. The new camera has addressed just about all of my complaints, and it's made using my old lenses a pleasure again.

As Ross said, the genuine Olympus adapters are not cheap. If you had a great lens that you loved, I would say that it's worth getting the adapter to try it out. But for the 14-42, the adapter may not save you much over buying a comparable MFT lens, especially if you look for a used one. A dedicated MFT lens will almost certainly deliver much better AF performance on the E-M10 as well. Whether or not you find AF with your 14-42 acceptable will depend a lot on the lighting conditions and what you want/need from the lens.

Re: Lens distortion and aberration

I was always under the impression the only m4/3 Oly cameras intended or designed for use with the older 4/3 lenses were the OM-D EM-1 mk1 and mk2.

I have the OM-D EM-1 mk1 and use a much cheaper Viltrox JY-43F Adapter. The Oly 50-200 and Sigma 150 work perfectly well with the same AF speed as they did with my Oly E-620 if not better, as do all my other 4/3 lenses.

Many people report bad results using the cheaper Non-Oly adapters but my Viltrox version has performed perfectly well and seems quite strong, well made and a tight fit against the camera and lens. I appreciate it's not weather sealed but for the difference in price and if you simply want to try the older 4/3 lenses, at around £30 or less ( ebay ), it's well worth a try IMHO.